Disclaimer. Yep, don't own, don't sue

Now You Notice Me?

Naruto nodded quickly, "…But I think I'd still like it on her."

"You'd like her deep fried in chocolate." Sasuke muttered.

"Probably. As long as it's Sakura. I don't think I can deal with another girl with her tempers!" Naruto jested. Though, he didn't add that he wouldn't want to deal with any other girls except her.

Sasuke nodded, "Understandable."

Kakashi began to clean and shave the boar, "Come on guys, if you're hungry, those girls are too." he grinned as the two boys sagged their shoulders and walked over to him

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Ayame sat with Sakura by the river as the males started cooking up some dinner. Sakura looked to her and then back to the water, "Miss Ayame?"

Ayame looked at her slowly, almost afraid of the question but knew she was the only woman Sakura would probably be able to say anything to on the subject, "Yes?"

Sakura sighed and looked towards the males for a moment, smiling as Naruto almost burned Sasuke and Kakashi was bickering a bit at him. Probably lecturing Naruto on being more cautious. Unless Naruto meant to do it anyway. Which wasn't out of question!

Sakura looked back to Ayame, "Have you ever been in love?"

"Yea." Ayame frowned and looked away, towards the woods in front of them.

Sakura felt the oddness in the tone of her voice, "If you don't mind…could I tell you something?"

Ayame smiled and nodded, "Sure, whatever you'd like Sakura."

Sakura propped her arms over her knees as she brought them up, wincing a bit, "I think I love someone."

"Sasuke?" Ayame asked quietly.

"Is it that obvious?" Sakura asked.

Ayame nodded, "More than that." she shook her head, "But I am worried."

Sakura looked to her strangely, "Why? Isn't it good to be in love?"

Ayame shook her head a bit, "What you may be experiencing is lust. Someone you can't have. It's the basic explanation for your interest in him."

Sakura gasped, "how can you say that?"

Ayame put her hand up to shush her, "But if it is love, it is most likely unrequited. How can you love someone who does not even like your presence enough to acknowledge you are there?" When Sakura looked away, Ayame continued, "I know love. I know what it feels like. And all I can say is I don't know which one is better."

Sakura looked at her strangely, "What do you mean?"

Ayame looked out to the river and sighed, "In lust, it's the chase. It's the fun, the excitement! Not knowing what is around the bend. But in love…it's totally opposite unless you really try on both ends. It's heart wrenching, it's painful, it hurts, it eases, it rejoices, it's sad…and you don't know if it's real until it's done."

Sakura knew there was a story behind Ayame's words, "What happened if I can ask?"

Ayame twiddled her fingers a bit and flicked some of her hair back and looked back at Kakashi and the others, "Look at Shi, he's so calm. So sincere and you know you can trust him above all others to protect you and show you who you are."

Sakura thought a moment and gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. Ayame looked back at her, "Yes. I've felt love. I've been in love. But love wouldn't have me."

Sakura looked at her strangely, "What do you mean? Did he turn you away?"

"For my protection, he said." Ayame scoffed.

"Huh?" Sakura gave her a confused look.

Ayame shook her head, "Years ago, on the mission that trifled with Shi's world, he came back different. He was no longer himself. And I realized that he would never be the man I loved since childhood."

Sakura shook her head and then looked back at Kakashi, "But Miss Ayame, he's still the same guy deep down. He just saw a lot more."

Ayame sighed, "I wish I could see what you see in him." she looked back at him and for an instant, his eye matched her own.

Sakura saw the pain in his eyes from even the distance they were at. "Miss Ayame."

Ayame broke their glance and looked up as Sakura stood up and dusted off her dress. "Sakura?"

Sakura glared down at her, "You may be the only female in this group besides me right now. But you have no idea who Kakashi is anymore. If he was protecting you by telling you to stay behind, be glad you did not change like him. You might not even be allies now." she pointed to Kakashi and the others, "And who knows what my true feelings are for Sasuke but whatever they are, they are mine. And yours for Master Kakashi are yours. Don't throw them together." she stormed past the others into the forest, "I'm not going far." she called back.

Ayame stood and sighed, shaking her head in defeat, 'I wish I could make her understand what I meant. I came out all wrong.'

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Sakura hadn't appeared for dinner and the others were getting worried. Naruto stood up, "I can't take this anymore! I'm going to find her!"

"You idiot." Sasuke muttered.

"What now!" Naruto glared at his teammate.

Sasuke stood up, "She doesn't want to be found. That's why she left! She wants to be alone."

Naruto punched Sasuke before he could react. Naruto pulled back and saw the red marked bruise appearing already from the flicker of the firelight, "I'll say it again, Sasuke. When you are worried about her life, then you can see her. Really, see her and who she is."

Ayame gasped and looked at Naruto, 'He loves her!' she kept that to herself. But she knew that boy's words. They were almost Kakashi's when he was younger.

Naruto ran off into the forest as Sasuke crossed his arms, "That idiot." he walked over to the river and began to meditate.

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Naruto looked around and came to an opening. Looking into it, he saw Sakura on a giant stone under the moonlight. Almost as if it were deliberately shining on her.

He walked up slowly and smiled at her radiance. She certainly bloomed over the years they knew each other.

"Hey Sakura?" he almost asked it.

She looked down at him with tears streaming, wiping them away a bit, "What?" she asked, shakily.

Naruto was caught off guard by her face glistening like the moonlight over the river's ripples. He jumped up on the stone beside her.

As she moved away to jump away, he grabbed her face quickly, but she was expecting a fierce grip at the way she was dodging. But she never suspected his touch be almost like a feather as he touched her and wiped away the tears from under her eyes.

"Sakura, you're so silly." Naruto teased and sat beside her, looking into the night sky.

She looked at him strangely, still feeling the warmth of his hands on her. It was so much more comforting than the men that attacked her the prior night.

She felt the urge to cry. He looked over to her face and couldn't tell what was going through her mind. "Hey? What's up? Why the weird face Sakura--oomph!"

She almost jumped into his lap as she launched a hug at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder.

He was almost afraid of the new Sakura. The girl he knew would never do this! She hated his guts! But for some reason, he knew he had to comfort the frail girl hugging him now. She almost felt like she was afraid to let go.

What could have happened to her? He didn't know but he wrapped his arms around her back and held her close, closing his eyes as she cried more into his jacket.

"It's ok, Sakura." he rubbed his hands around her back, careful not to venture too far in any direction, just showing his care is all he wanted to do. He didn't know what happened to her, he had a feeling that if he did, he'd lose his mind.

Sakura sniffled some and whispered a bit, "Thank you, Naruto."

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Ayame drank some of her coffee. Her and Kakashi had been sitting in silence since Naruto ran off after Sakura.

"Ahem." Kakashi knocked his chest some, "Strong." He was trying to break the awkward silence.

She smiled a bit over her cup and looked up at him. He was looking at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

'I can't endanger her. Even now.' Kakashi sighed and went back to his coffee.

Ayame frowned and then looked to a few pieces of paper by his side and slid over and grabbed them, "What are these!" she teased as he went to grab them out of her hand, sighing in defeat as she opened them up.

She looked at him strangely, "It's not porn."

"Of course it isn't, I'm not that deranged to draw it." he muttered.

She looked at the pictures. Flipping through Kakashi's drawings she saw what he was trying to keep from her.

There was a scene where he had drawn Naruto watching Sakura. She was on a ledge above the river and he was a good fifty feet away, just watching it seemed.

The next one was Sasuke ignoring Sakura and Naruto off in a distance almost seemed to have a saddened face as Kakashi drew lines to indicate Naruto had shook his head.

In another picture, Sakura was sleeping as Naruto practiced his skills a few feet away with his sexy jitsu but he had a sad face instead of the normal seductive look.

The next picture, Ayame looked at even more strangely. It was her.

She looked at how she was talking to Sakura by the river earlier. Kakashi had drawn them, looking back at them.

The last picture was her looking at him at a moment she thought he wasn't noticing because they hadn't said a word. So that's what he was doing with that writing pad and pencil!

Looking back at him and back at the picture strangely, she looked at how he made her eyes glisten from the fire, giving a shadow effect on her face.

She gave them back and coughed some, "Nice work." she drank some more coffee.

He nodded, "Thank you." he put them back to his side and stretched some. "I get bored sometimes."

Ayame snickered, "More than sometimes, you're a pro at art." she giggled at his light blush.

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Sakura was still crying in Naruto's arms as he tried to calm her down. "Sakura? You're gonna be ok, right?" he asked.

Her hands gripped his jacket at the question and she pulled him closer without noticing it.

He did.

He even felt her tears searing his skin as she cried against his shoulder. They seeped through his jacket.

He had enough.

This wasn't Sakura!

This was almost an imposter!

He pulled back some and made him look at her.

Her nose was red and her cheeks were red, tearstained and blotchy.

Her eyes, they were redder than her cheeks.

And the pain in her eyes. Oh god, the pain he saw.

It killed him. In any fight he was beaten in. In any past reflection, he never felt so much pain as when he looked into her eyes.

"Sakura…" he took her face into his hands gently.

She looked scared as he brought her face closer but was relieved when he bent her head down a bit and kissed her forehead.

She knew she didn't have to worry about Naruto. She could get away if she had to. But…

This was Naruto! He believed in fair fights. He believed in heart over logic. He believed. In her.

Her shoulders lowered in defeat that he saw her in such a state of disorganization.

She looked up at him strangely, "Naruto?"

He smirked some, "Yea?" Glad he heard his name on her lips.

She smiled, "Thank you."

"You keep saying that and it's gonna get to my head." he jested.

She smiled and he saw her sleepiness in her eyes as they dragged. Placing a hand on her shoulder, "You should get some rest." he advised. "Looks like you haven't rested since before we set out on this journey."

He was right. He just didn't know how right he was. She nodded and leaned over to lay down on the rock, "I don't want to go back to camp right now, if that's ok." she mumbled a bit.

Naruto nodded, "Yea, that's ok, I'll stick around till you want to." he promised as she drifted off.

He watched her sleep and smiled to himself. He loved her. He knew it. Somehow or another, he'd die before something happened to her like what had taken place the night before. He almost was afraid to know what did happen. He brushed her hair back a bit.

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Ayame turned in for the night, "Naruto has surely found her." she mumbled before she fell asleep.

Kakashi looked to her and smirked, "Yea. Sweet slumber Ayame."

Ayame smiled some in her sleep. Sasuke walked over a while later while Kakashi laid down a few feet from Ayame. "Master Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked up to him, "Yes?"

Sasuke sighed and bowed, "Never mind. Good night."

Kakashi nodded, "Very well. Nice dreams Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded as they all fell asleep.

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Sakura woke up a bit in the night scared at the sights she saw. She must have moved a bit because she felt Naruto touch her hand as she awoke.

She blinked a bit and looked at Naruto. He was directly in front of her on his side, sleeping. She propped up some and looked down at their hands.

He laid his on top of hers, making sure she was still there.

She looked back at his face. He looked so calm, so angelic. Nothing like the Naruto she knew. Or was it?

She saw a different look of Naruto tonight. A different side. She knew she tapped in, unintentionally to his true nature. She smiled at the thought that he was concerned of her life, her happiness.

At least someone was.

She laid back down and put her fingers through his and held it back as she was drifting back to sleep, calmly. Knowing someone was there to make sure she was too.

And for once, she didn't want Sasuke to be there. He'd insult her in all the wrong ways. Naruto was easy with her emotions. He didn't want her hurt. He was protecting her.

She drifted to sleep on that thought.

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-kage1586